Chapter Eighty-One: Major News
After listening to Sakura Bell’s words, Kevin immediately understood her meaning. But after considering it for a moment, he shook his head. “Miss Sakura Bell, there’s no issue with the benefits from Sir Barton and Princess Oxicris, but this is such a major matter—saying two junior wizards participated, and as temps at that… it’s a bit hard to justify. Ahem, are they hoping for a career in public service?”
Sakura Bell’s expression darkened instantly. She sipped her tea, inhaled her cigarette languidly, didn’t even glance at Kevin, and instead turned to Ross, chatting with a smile.
Kevin suddenly found himself in an awkward spot, and the other agents looked equally embarrassed.
It seemed he had offended this local lord.
Did he really need to divide the credit further?
Kevin glanced cautiously at Ross, only to see that Ross seemed entirely uninterested in the matter.
Indeed, Lord Bolster didn’t care for this credit; he wasn’t after such petty accolades. What he wanted was prestige, a name in the papers, and the hearts of the voters!
But the more people involved, the less credit for himself, wasn’t it? If Bolster wanted this matter handled properly, he’d need this local force’s help, and likely would have to rely on her aunt for further maneuvering—otherwise, swallowing his share of the credit for Harold’s capture would not be so easy.
Kevin finally figured it out. He said, “Miss Sakura Bell. We’ll remember the names you’ve mentioned. Rest assured, it will be handled properly—I’m familiar with the Mysteries Office. In time, we’ll probably need their manpower, and when that happens, I’ll look after these two juniors.”
Sakura Bell smiled brightly after hearing this.
Kevin was finally smart enough to read the situation.
That brat Louis was lucky—this major credit was worth more than the recommendation letters from the political donors behind the Ministry of Magic officials!
Where else could he get a recommendation of this caliber? Even his aunt couldn’t manage it!
With this merit, he’d likely have enough for a plain suit of cards.
Consider it an investment… When you make it big, boy, you’d better remember who helped you!
...
A few days later, at the dinner table.
[Hearts Three Promotion Merit +1]
[Louis: Hearts 3 (3/3), Hearts 4 (0/3)]
[Currently available promotion merit: Crowley Grand Manor, Mysterious and Strange Event (Grade A!)]
[Sponsor: Grand Banker Mr. Beliff (phone call scheduled for tomorrow)]
[Inviter: Desperate Crowley family (Muggle), grieving “Grand Textile Capitalist, Captain of the Seventh Fleet of the Sorrento United Kingdom, Governor of Three Continents Colonial Province, Military Political Figure” Athena Crowley (Muggle Governor, Countess), grieving Countess’ primary heir “Miss Kate Crowley” (Muggle, potential investor)]
[Teammates: Three British Grand Wizards (is there really magic in this world?), 3 Lunar High Priestesses (is there really such dark forces?), Templar Knight (he has the martial skills you need)]
[Available identities (2): Reverend Conan of the Icon Tree Cathedral, Detective Assistant Sister Helen / Sister Oxicris]
[Completion rewards: Random Attribute +5, Ministry of Magic Merit +1, Stuart’s Reasonable Recommendation Letter +1, Oxicris Sorrento Royal Court Prestige +200, Louis Sorrento Royal Prestige +200, Invitation to the banquet of Their Majesties Delphinia and Ignatius]
At the table, Louis glanced at the narration and the newspaper in his hand, his expression odd.
“So after all this circling, the credit still ended up in my hands?”
“Doing good deeds without leaving a name is truly difficult.”
“But didn’t the storybook mention a recommendation letter? How did it become a merit? Looks like the lines of fate are more tangled than ever—even the storybook can’t predict with one hundred percent accuracy anymore.”
“Ahem, ahem.” Helen nudged Louis, signaling him to pay attention to his sister.
Louis put down the newspaper and looked at the storytelling Oxicris, unable to resist rolling his eyes.
“…At that time, Sakura Bell and I happened to be passing by, and the Grand Magician Harold, in his helplessness, was captured by our joint effort. But, since I didn’t really need the credit, I considered whether I should look after my student…”
Oxicris purposely paused, elegantly swirling her wine glass, took a delicate sip of red wine amidst her sister’s adoring gaze and Louis’s eye roll.
Now, Oxicris’s spine straightened before her students, her pride swelling, her feet swinging beneath the table—this time, wouldn’t Her Highness reclaim her prestige among the Ministry of Magic and Court Wizards?
Wouldn’t the academic wizards cast their gaze upon her again? Wouldn’t she become the center of the academy?
Once she stirred up another big story, wouldn’t she snag a vice dean’s position at the academy?
With students everywhere, supporters at every turn, would the next Queen of Hearts really be taken by anyone else?
Only her father was a bit annoying—the wizards’ papers couldn’t be seen in the Muggle world.
Ever since her father was cursed by that little sprite, he still believed she was wasting her days at the so-called “Icon Tree Divine Academy”…
She really wished her name would appear in the Muggle world’s newspapers…
Her Highness the Princess was about to vanish in her own kingdom…
“Sis, hurry and continue!” Helen said impatiently, her little hands twisted together—now that they were in the papers, did this mean she and Louis were about to be promoted?
“Hmph, you two get off easy. But some people never show any gratitude, always making trouble.” With that, Oxicris deliberately shot Louis a glare.
“Big sister is so amazing, ahem.” Helen applauded fiercely, pinching Louis with her foot under the table, urging him to clap.
Seeing Louis still rolling his eyes, Oxicris couldn’t resist kicking him under the seat.
“Clap clap clap, amazing, my teacher is the best.” Louis, gripping his teacher’s leg, smiled as he applauded.
Feeling her leg caught, Oxicris looked at Louis in disbelief: ‘My disciple’s filial piety has… changed!’
After dinner, Oxicris ordered Louis to wash the dishes and tidy up, then retreated to her room to secretly write the homework Helen had assigned via Louis.
Helen stuck out her tongue, glanced at Louis, apparently deciding to help him clean up.
‘Always so stubborn with me, but still hoping to gain prestige in the Muggle world? Hoping to appear in their newspapers? I’d planned to take you out this time for some experience, but with this attitude?’
‘The little one is more sensible.’ Louis looked at the well-behaved Helen, smiled, and patted her head. “Good girl, tomorrow your brother will take you to see ghosts.”
Helen’s mouth dropped, frightened nearly to tears. “Can’t I not go?”
“Nope, a witch afraid of ghosts? You’d disgrace your teacher (pointing to himself)!”
After a bath, Louis towel-dried his hair, coughed in the living room, and called toward Oxicris’s door with their agreed code: “I’ve finished bathing.”
The two silly sisters, though secretly writing Louis’s homework, hadn’t figured out how to undo the magical pact they’d made.
But the sisters, through nightly antics, had managed to annoy Louis, so the three signed an addendum and agreed on a code.
Whenever Louis said the code, the pact’s contents would be nullified for a while—the code was bathing.
Thus, hearing the code, Oxicris sighed in relief and, happily oblivious, continued writing her assignments.
Meanwhile, Louis returned to his bedroom, locked the door, read for a while, and studied the Blackhorn Alley map, considering whether to pay Sakura Bell a visit.
He hadn’t been back since last time—thinking this, Louis couldn’t help but smile.
But remembering Stuart’s troubled face, Louis sighed—lately Stuart had been so diligent, as if missing a single class would be fatal…
Shaking his head, Louis returned to bed and entered the world of dreams.
This time, he had specially arranged the dream world. The setting was no longer the Icon Tree, but a World Tree of Life.
Near the Tree of Life lay vast ruins—these represented the progress of the “Faceless Book.” When the book was completed, the ruins would rise again as a sanctum of knowledge for wizards in their dream world.
Under the tree, Louis sat upon a stone, lecturing fourteen students. Watching the fourteen scribbling earnestly, Louis nodded in satisfaction.
Ross and the others needn’t be mentioned; they had ideals and goals, planning to write books for Muggles, so their efforts were relentless.
Harold too, as his chief disciple, had always been the most diligent.
But Stuart, usually lazy and gluttonous, lately seemed possessed, gritting his teeth and studying as if he intended to surpass Harold the academic star in grade one.
Look, he’s asking questions again: “Master, could you revisit the ‘River Styx Scroll I: The Shadow of Death’ you lectured on recently?”
“Why are you suddenly so diligent?” Louis frowned. “Such things with only applied theory and no fundamentals—don’t focus on them. Start from the basics, or you’ll only learn the surface.”
Hearing this, Stuart rolled his eyes internally.
“Master, the surface is enough for me— ahem, I mean, you don’t know, but I’m running out of time for basics…”
Stuart put down four pens, the fire in his eyes dancing wildly. “Lately, the magical prison has been restless… I need to learn more to protect myself, so I don’t become collateral damage.”
“Heh heh heh heh heh.” Fat Harold adjusted his monocle and grinned wickedly.
Stuart, despairing, looked to his master. “I’d like to request leave for a business trip, is that alright?”
Louis frowned.
Recently, Stuart seemed to have had a breakthrough, transforming from a bottom-tier college slacker into a star student—even his homework grades now surpassed Harold’s!
Yet what left Louis speechless was that, despite his excellent performance, Stuart only focused on superficialities, not the real substance.
“Fine, go ahead. Just don’t miss the evening lessons.” Louis sighed, then smiled at his other good student. “Harold, are you going on a trip?”
“No, no, no, I’ll stay in the magical prison a while longer. It’s quiet and interesting here.” Harold, using the new knowledge from today, folded the newspaper in front of him into wand shapes, grinning maniacally like a deranged fat boy. “Heh heh heh heh heh heh…”
Seeing Harold’s mound of newspaper wands, Stuart looked utterly lost and despairing.
This lunatic—when did he steal all the prison press’s newspapers? And even brought them into the dream world!
What did we learn today? Who knows, it seems advanced—could those newspapers really be used as wands?
He made thousands—who are they for?
Suddenly, Stuart’s mind buzzed.
It’s over, over, over! Ah, wait, I’m on leave.
Heh heh heh.
Brother Bolster, tonight’s riot—I’m out.
...
A little request for recommendation votes.